Love&Magic
by silencer42
Summary: AU. shiznat. other pairings.heartbraker natsuki is paired with shizuru, the rookie in twin earth. will shizuru be another heartbreak or will she actually be the one. meanwhile evil rises and its up to them to save the magus world before its destroyed.
1. Prologue

another story, but i'm having trouble coming up with a title for this one...hmmm...my lack of creativity bites me on the butt on this sorts of things...i'll come up with something...eventually...

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

Fuka 

402 AD

Through a haze of red exhaustion, Natsuki watched her rival reel and fall from her sword stroke. The last of her five openents.

_Thank god._

She turned, her broken ribs screaming, and blinked hard, trying to free her eyelashes from the blood that tacked them together. Taking a step forward, she almost fell over one of the knights she'd defeated. Agony shafted up her thigh as she fought to regain her footing. Her leather leggings hung heavy and wet, and she knew the wound in her thigh was responsible.

Cold. It was June, but she felt like the depths of winter. She'd lost too much blood.

A blurred ring of faces surrounded her. As she crossed the combat circle, their applause and cheers came to her as if from a great distance. A robed woman hurried past - one of Mashiro's newly created witches, intent on healing the men she'd bested.

Just as she was about to become a Magus. _If_ the girl witch found her worthy. Mashiro had refused three other winners so far, though no one knew why.

She looked across the combat grounds to the two slender figures standing next to Midori. Mashiro had her maid, Fumi. To look at her, you'd think the witch too young. At least until you looked into her eyes.

Something powerful and acient looked out of Mashiro's eyes, something far more goddess than girl.

Natsuki took a step toward the witch, but the world revolved around her, forcing her to stop in her tracks and grit her teeth. _I will not fall in front of her._ She'd endured too much to ruin it with weakness now.

Locking her gaze on the girl who was no girl, she dragged her right leg forward another step. And then her left.

_Plop. Plop. Plop._ The crowd had gone silent as they watched her struggle. Natsuki could hear the slow, steady drip of her own blood hitting the sand.

Another step. And another. She seemed to be looking at Mashiro through a long gray tunnel.

At last, she reached her destination. From the corner of one eye, she saw Midori gravely watching. Midori, whose red hair had once been shot through with gray, yet who now looked younger than Natsuki.

But it was Mashiro whose gaze held her. She thought she saw stars shoot across those light-blue irises.

_I should kneel,_ Natsuki thought distantly. She tried to bend her knee, only to sway, almost pitching onto her face. _Perhaps not._

For lack of a better alternative, she braced her legs apart like a horse run until it was all but dead. Next to Mashiro's elegant delicacy, she felt like a horse in truth, all towering dumb muscle. "My Queen," she rasped to Midori. Then, in a careful bow of the head to Mashiro, "My lord."

"You fought well," Mashiro said in that suprisingly lilting voice. "You showed courage, yes, but then, all of Midori's knights are courageous. But you also fought with intelligence, and most importantly, with honor. You have won the right to my Gift." She extended a hand and Natsuki looked down. For a moment, those pale fingers were empty.

Then light flashed, and the Grail filled them.

Natsuki caught her breath. It resembled no other cup she'd ever seen with its elegent, impossible lines. Within it, sparks danced on the surface of a glowing blue liquid. Alien as it looked, the potion smelled delicious.

Yet gazing down into those sparkling blue depths, she felt a sudden shaft of fear.

"The final test is this," Mashiro said softly. "If you drink of my cup, you will become immortal, but you will also watch your mother and your father die. Your life will be a thing of blood and struggle as you fight to save your fellow humans from themselves. You may eventually guide them to freedom, but you will never know it yourself."

Natsuki stared at her. The combat ground suddenly dipped and revolved around her, and she hastly stiffened her legs again.

"There will be no peaceful fireside for you, no circle of grandchildren around your knees," Mashiro continued in that soft implacable voice. "Instead of good food and a cup of tea, you will drink blood to live. And your children, if you have them, will be born mortal, though with the potential to become what you are. If they are too weak or too greedy or too mad, you must stand by and watch them die, one by one. But if they're worthy, they will inheret the same yoke you'll wear. And they too, will know no peace. So choose well. And choose knowing there is no going back."

Natsuki swallowed againts the great cold knot that had grown in her chest with every word the witch had spoken. Such a choice. She'd fought for the chance to drink from Mashiro's Grail, had bled for it, and yet - it wasn't until this moment that she'd realized just what winning would mean.

Unable to hold Mashiro's infinite, pitiless gaze, she looked away.

Into the warm, green eyes of Sugiura, Midori. Midori, who'd accepted her into her court, who'd made her a knight, who'd gotten drunk with her and told her bawdy jokes, who'd led her into battle.

Midori, who'd drunk from Mashiro's Grail.

Natsuki turned to Mashiro. "I would follow Sugiura, Midori through the yawning gates of hell. I will not leave her to this battle alone."

And she took the cup, aware of Midori's grim smile.

It felt far heavier than it should have, but she didn't let herself think of that. Instead, she turned the cup up and drank it down in one gulp.

At first, it tasted like springtime - light and foaming on the tongue. Natsuki started to smile as it rolled down her throat in a sweet stream...

Then it hit her gut, and the world exploded. She reeled, distantly aware of Midori catching her. Fire engulfed her belly and raced into her veins in a savage blaze of heat. Gritting her teeth, she fought not to scream as she writhed in the Queen's arms, clutching at Midori's embroidered robes with desperate hands. It seemed her very eyeballs were afire in her skull, her tounge blazing, as if she were burning from the inside out. Her muscles knotted and twisted under her flaming skin, her bones shifting and crackling like kindling.

And then the fire just...vanished. Winked out, leaving her cold and hollow.

Panting, Natsuki clung weakly to Midori, who supported her weight with no effort at all. Finally, she pulled away and forced herself to stand on her own feet. Licking her dry lips, she felt the twin sharp edges of fangs againts her tounge.

A magus. She was a magus now.

Dazed, she looked around into Midori's face.

The queen gave her a slight smile. "Thank you."

* * *

...review 


	2. Dragon, meet vampire

Disclaimer: as always, I own nothing

* * *

Windbloom

510 AD

Natsuki rode the great warhorse up the grassy hillside, enjoying the whip of the wind in her face and the thundering beat of her stallion's hooves. Reaching the top, she drew rein, bringing her mount to a dancing halt.

Overhead, the moon rode the cloudess sky, serene as a goddess againts the stars. Behind her, Windbloom. For a moment, Natsuki allowed herself to think about the century since Mashiro left them. Just as the alien witch had warned, she'd spent decades at war.

Then the queens consort's vision had told her it was time to leave. They'd been among the humans for a century, after all, and their failure to age was beginning to raise questions they had no intention of answering. They needed a haven where they'd be safe from their mortal charges.

So as Mashiro had taught them, the witches created magical doorways and brought the Magekind here. Here to this twin earth.

She'd been told it was located in something called the Suishouguu - the home of Mashiro, and the source of the Magekind's power. One could draw magic here as easily as drawing breath.

And the Magekind weren't the only ones doing so, either. Though this version of Earth was oddly empty of humans, there were plenty of magical creatures here - unicorns, dragons, etc.

Unfortunately, there were also the beasts the knights had named Slaves. Long-legged and reptilian, with a mouthful of huge teeth and entirely too much cunning, they resembled a cross between a wolf and a crocodile, with the personality to match. Packs of them roamed the forests, killing unicorns, griffins, and even dragons, if they could take one unawares. Natsuki, like the rest of the knights, had come to view killing them as a service to the rest of the planet's magical inhabitants.

She was almost bored enough to go Slave hunting now. But she'd have to be suicidal as well to take on a pack alone, so she paused, trying to decide wether to return to Windbloom.

_Roooooarrrrr!_

The sound rolled over the trees, deep and throaty, ringing with rage. It was answered by a dozen high-pitched barks Natsuki knew all too well.

A pack of Slaves had cornered something.

Frowning, she set her heels to her horse's ribs and sent the beast thundering down the hill toward the source of the combat. It wasn't hard to follow. Between those furious roars and the Slave's shrill baying, the noise was deafening. She rounded a stand of trees and drew rein in suprise.

As she'd thought, a pack of the vicious reptiles had cornered a victim, but it was not one Natsuki would ever have expected.

It was a dragon.

Blue scales shimmering in the moonlight, the great beast breathed a plume of glowing magic at the nearest of the Slaves. The monster fell back, yelping as it burned in magical fire. The dragon tried to move in for the kill, but two more of the Slaves darted forward to sink their crocodile teeth in its haunches. With a roar, the dragon reared, swiped at them, and tried to throw itself skyward. A ripped and bleeding left wing flopped, broken, and the dragon fell back to earth.

Natsuki winced in involuntary pity. Powerful as the dragon was, it wouldn't have a chance againts a pack of Slaves, especially maimed.

The Slaves - hunched, massive, covered in great armored plates - surged forward, howling. Blood flew as their teeth scored the dragon's gleaming hide.

Before she had time to think better of it, Natsuki drew her sword and dug her blunted spurs into her warhorse's side. Screaming its challenge, the well-trained stallion bounded into a full charge.

One of the Slaves saw them coming and tried to leap away, but Natsuki swung her blade in a furious overhand shop. The creature's head went flying.

Another Slave snapped at Natsuki's warhorse, but she twisted in her saddle and drove the bloody sword into its chest. The monster choked and tumbled backward, twitching in death.

The dragon's long tail caught another Slave in the ribs and batted it off into the dark like a child's ball. As the dragon struck at a forth with flashing teeth, Natsuki hacked a fifth in two.

Apperantly that was too much for the surviving Slaves. With a mass yowl, the survivors broke in all directions and fled.

Leaving Natsuki alone with the dragon.

Panting, bloody, the creature turned and looked down at her, plainly puzzled. Its head was the size of her entire body, and its handlike forepaws were tipped with claws the length of her belt knife.

It could swallow her in one bite.

_Well, that was stupid,_ Natsuki realized. Like an idiot she'd gone and saved something that could eat her.

Spurring her stallion, she tried to rein aside as the dragon opened its great jaws.

Too late.

A tide of shimmering magic rolled over her. The horse reared with a scream of equine terror, and Natsuki cursed as magic burned across her skin.

The dragon hissed. Halfway through, the hiss became words. "...spell should translate our words for each other."

Natsuki's fear drained away into astonishment. Her jaw gaped as she stared up at the great beast studying her with such interest. Nobody told her dragons were intelligent.

She retained just enough wit not to say so, however. Clearing her throat, she managed, "Your spell worked."

"Good," the dragon said, examining her with lively interest. "My name is Nina. And it seems you just saved my life."

* * *

...review


	3. Trapped

A year later

"Come, Nina," Natsuki muttered under her breath. "Where are you? I want to fly."

As if hearing her complaint, a point of light flashed like a star in the heart of Windbloom's central square. An eye-blink later, the light expanded into a vertical shimmer the height of a man. Natsuki grinned in anticipation.

Natsuki and the dragon had become fast friends over the past months, hunting Slaves together or exploring the Magekind's new world. Tonight, however, Nina had promised her a flight. If the dragon would ever show up...

A huge, blue-scaled head thrust through the glowing opening, which rippled around it like water. Horns topped the massive skull, and amber eyes gleamed with intelligence from below bony brow ridges. knife-length teeth flashed as the creature spoke. "What are you waiting for?" Nina demanded in a voice so deep, Natsuki felt it in her bones. "Step on through. I have a few friends I'd like you to meet." Her head withdrew through the magical gate, which rippled and bounced in reaction.

"What friends?" Frowning, Natsuki strode over to cross through the gate herself. Magic slid across her skin with her passage, tingling and foaming, but she'd grown used to the sensation by now. "Nina, I thought we were going to fly..."

Reaching the other side, Natsuki broke off in blank astonishment. She'd been to Nina's cavernous stone home in Dragon Lands before, so she was no stranger to its curved, alien walls and strange green lighting.

But during the previous visit, she hadn't been surrounded by dragons.

Four of them filled Nina's echoing cavern with their powerful bodies and restless tails. They were massive creatures, like animated hillsides covered in shimmering scales of gold, blue, red, or white. Great wings rustled as they shifted from foot to clawed foot, and their tails flicked, long as chariot teams.

Vampire or not, Natsuki felt her mouth go dry in instinctive fear. "Jebus." She had to clear her throat as she turned to give her blue-scaled friend a tight smile. "Well met, Nina." _What the hell are _they_ doing here?_

"Welcome, Natsuki!" Nina gave her a grin so full of teeth, Natsuki would have been terrified if she wasn't already used to it.

"This is the human?" a white-scaled dragon asked. Green eyes the size of dinner plates blinked and narrowed as the creature examined her. "Why, it's so small. It can't be very smart, with such a tiny head."

In this company, Natsuki had to admit she felt tiny. She was also beginning to wonder if the creature had a point about her intelligence. What _was_ she doing here? "Nina..." she began through a fixed smile.

"Don't be deceived." Nina edge protectively closer, forcing the white dragon to step back. "Natsuki and her people may be smaller than we are, but they're just as intelligent and equally courageous. As my friend proved when she saved me from those Slaves." Lowering her huge head, she muttered, "Please, Natsuki - patience. I'm trying to overcome my people's fear of you."

_What about my fear of them?_ Natsuki thought. She contented herself with a nod and stepped closer to her friend's towering shoulder. Nina would protect her. She'd hoped.

A golden head swooped down, huge nostrils flaring. Natsuki managed not to jump. "It smells odd," the dragon said. "Like blood. And it looks rather disgustingly soft."

"On the other hand, they have a certain quick grace," Nina told him evenly. "As for their looks, I've found you get used to that."

"You flatter me," Natsuki said dryly.

"Well, I don't like it," the red dragon announced, stepping back with what looked like revulsion curling its lips. "Nothing good can come from associating with such...creatures. The Dragon Lords won't like this at all."

"Mikoto is a Dragon Lord, and she has no problem with it."

"Mikoto is an ambassador," the red retorded. "She has to associate with the disgusting things. And at least she has the grace not to _enjoy_ it."

Nina laughed. "I could tell you a thing or two about what Mikoto enjoys." As the others looked scandalized, she added smoothly, "She, too, realizes the humans have much to offer us, if we but put aside our fear long enough to learn from them."

"Fear?" Now offended smoke rolled from the red dragon's nostrils. "I certainly feel no fear of that revolting little beast. Nor do I believe it has anything to teach me I wish to know."

"You would be suprised, Dyne," Nina said. "I have made several visits to their city, Windbloom, and, like Mikoto, I find their ways intriguingly different from ours. For example, the humans mate for life instead of a single season, and..."

Dyne snorted, his breath ruffling Natsuki's hair. "I have flown over that _city_, as you call it, and I fail to see how I could even fit inside one of those tiny stone hovels."

"Hovels?" Natsuki muttered.

"To begin with," Nina said, ignoring his irritation, "you assume their form." Magic flashed in the dragon's amber eyes. Knowing what was coming, Natsuki straightened hastly away.

The next instant, the huge beast was gone, replaced by a woman her own height, dressed in a doublet and breeches. Her skin held a faint blue sheen, while her hair fell to her shoulders in a fall of indigo. Her eyes, however, were the same amber they'd been in dragon form. Nina flashed a smile. "As you can see, the transformation is not even difficult, once you learn the trick of it."

"Perversion!" Dyne hissed, his spined crest fanning in agitation. "Consorting with those creatures is bad enough, but to assume their revolting shape - you are as mad as they say!"

"Revolting?" Natsuki drawled, her sense of humor suddenly reasserting itself. "You wound me."

The dragon glared at her with hatred. "I would eat you, but I do not care to pollute my belly."

Nina went still. "Or face my rage."

Fear flickered in the dragon's eyes and turned to defiance. "This will not be allowed. They will stop you." He turned and lumbered to the front of the cavern, then flung himself out through its mouth and fell like a stone. An instant later he reappeared, wings beating furiously as he flew upward.

"That can't be good," Natsuki murmured to Nina.

The gold dragon flicked its tail. "He's off to tattle to the Dragon Lords, Nina. You'd best take your new pet and fly before he brings their outrage down on your head."

Nina glowered and returned to her true form. "Am I some new-hatched fledgling supposed to cower every time one of the Dragon Lords huffs? Not likely."

"Why must you try to change everything?" the white dragon demanded suddenly, frustration growing in its voice. "Why can't you simply let things be?"

"Because it's boring, Gal," Nina snapped back. "We're so locked in our own ways of thought, one day we'll merge with the stone of our own caves. And nobody will even notice."

Gal spread massive wings, then refolded them with a flick. " There's nothing wrong with a little boredom."

"Actually, I begin to agree with you," Natsuki murmured.

The dragons ignored her. "If nothing else, you should consider what your actions are doing to your uncle," the gold dragon told Nina. "People begin to talk. Sergey could lose his position as a Dragon Lord if they decide he's unable to control you."

"He doesn't control me." Nina's tail whipped once. "He is merely a hidebound bully who has tormented my mother since they were hatched. I hope he does lose his seat. In fact, perhaps _I'll_ challenge him..."

"I would not advise it, niece."

Nina and Natsuki turned. A red dragon even bigger than Dyne filled the mouth of the cave, a muscular green dragon standing a bit behind it.

Without taking her eyes away from the newcomers, Nina extended a forearm to Natsuki and lowered her voice. "Climb on. I may need to get you to safety."

Natsuki did not have to be asked twice. She grabbed her friend's clawed hand and quickly scrambled up to straddle her neck. They moved toward the entrance, but the two newcomers blocked the way.

"So, Nina, you plot againts me." The red dragon's tone was chillingly pleasant. "I'd reconsider, were I you. The bones of my past challengers ring our cliffs."

Nina displayed impressive teeth. "I'm faster than they were." Around them, the others went very still.

Natsuki winced. Sitting on the back of a dragon during a duel suddenly struck her as a very bad place to be.

Uncle and niece glared at each other, spiked tails lashing with clicking sounds on the stone. Then the green dragon spoke, his voice deliberately loud.

"When Dyne told me you'd brought one of these...creatures to our lands, I did not believe him," The green dragon said, cold yellow eyes focusing on Natsuki. "Yet it seems there are no depths to which you will not sink."

"Evar, befriending humans is not a perversion." Nina growled, without taking her eyes from her uncle. "Learning new things keeps one quick of mind."

"And more importantly, it embarrasses me." The red dragon fanned his spiked crest, eyes narrowing. "Which is the whole point is it not? To create doubt in my leadership?"

"Doing exactly the same thing in exactly the same way for centuries is not leadership, Sergey. It's laziness."

"You accuse _me_ of laziness?"

"Nina..." Natsuki murmured, wishing for her sword. If the dragons began to fight, she could end up crushed between those huge bodies. And there wasn't a damned thing she could do about it.

Nina ignored her in favor of glaring at her rival. "Have we become so weak, Uncle, that any new idea can throw us into panic? Do we have so little strength - or so much cowardice?"

"Cowardice!" Evar turned to Nina's uncle. "Are you going to let that stand, Sergey?"

Sergey's eyes narrowed. "Nina, I order you to stop consorting with these disgusting apes. I-"

"You're in no position to order me to do anything." She stalked closer. "Now, my friend and I are going flying."

Nina swept past, forcing Natsuki to grab one of her spines to keep her seat. Reaching the cavern opening, the dragon flung herself out over empty air.

Natsuki's belly rose into her throat as they plummeted downward. Nina's wings grabbed the air and they leveled out, soaring. The earth flashed below, far too close, before falling away with dazzling speed. Nina's heavy wings beat hard in the climb, carrying them out over the Dragon Lands, whose peaks shone silver in the moonlight.

"What's going on, Nina?" Natsuki shouted over the wind, when she judged her friend's temper had begun to cool.

"My uncle has been a Dragon Lord too long," Nina shouted back. "And our people need to grow and learn."

"That may be, but you can't force them." Natsuki's hands tightened around the spines she held as she hunkered againts the wind. "Nina, are we really friends, or am I an excuse to fight your uncle?"

Nina snorted. "If all I wanted was to call Sergey out, I don't need an excuse. It's my right as a member of the Bloodstone clan. I believe what I told them back there, Natsuki - we need contact with your people. It's been generations since Dragonkind produced so much as a poet. All the creativity that flourishes among you is all but dead in us. We grow slow and complacent."

"Do you really think killing Sergey is going to change that?"

"No, but it's a-"

BOOM! The spell blasted out of nowhere, a raging explosion of energy that tore Natsuki from the dragon's back. Nina roared, writhing in midair, huge wings contorting in agony...

Natsuki plummeted through the night like a brick dropped into a well. As the ground sped toward her face, she wrapped her arms around her head and prayed. It took a lot to kill one of Mashiro's immortal vampires, but a fall like this just might do the job.

She hit the ground in a white-hot blast of pain. In an instant, everything went black.

-/-/-/-

The world was on fire. Natsuki managed an agonized wheeze and instinctively shifted form. Her skull elongated, hands becoming paws, silver fur racing over her twisting, changing body.

Until she was left lying in the grass, panting. At least the pain was gone. As it always did, the transformation to wolf had healed her injuries.

Whole again, she rolled to all four legs, shook herself, and growled, scanning for the enemy that had attacked her and Nina.

She landed on a grassy hilltop. There was no sign of the dragon at all, not on the ground or in the sky. There was nothing, in fact, except Windbloom in the distance, shining pale and ghostly as a dream.

Then, from the corner of one eye, she spotted the glint of moonlight on silver. With a wary growl, she trotted over to investigate.

It was a sword, lying in the high grass. That was strange. Moving closer, she lowered her wolf muzzle to investigate.

The weapon smelled of magic so strongly, her hackles rose. It was beautifully made, with a four-foot blade. A small silver dragon curled around its long hilt, spiked tail extended down the tang.

To her amazement, the dragon's tiny head lifted and looked at her with dazed amber eyes. "Natsuki?" it croaked.

Astonished, Natsuki returned to human form. "Nina?" Gingerly, she reached down and lifted the sword with both hands. Rotating it so the dragon was upright, she asked, "What happened?"

Fear twisted her friend's face as the tiny dragon clung to the hilt like a drowning man. "Natsuki, I can't change back. The egg-sucking bastard has trapped me!"

"Who? Sergey? Or that green one?" Her mind raced. Windbloom was full of witches. Surely one of them could cure the dragon. "Don't panic. The witches will be able to help you, and if they can't, your mother will."

Amber eyes blinked hard. "It's not going to work."

"What do you mean?"

"There's only one way to break this spell." The dragon curled a silver lip. "My attacker was kind enough to plant the knowledge in my mind."

She blew a breath in relief. "Then whatever it is, let's do it and get you out of there. Then we'll find..."

"No." The dragon looked her in the eyes. "The only way to break the spell is to kill you, Natsuki. And that I'll never do."

"What?" Back in his own cavern again, Sergey stared into an enchanted pool, the tip of his tail lashing. As he watched, the ape knight began to walk back toward Windbloom, carrying the sword that held Nina prisoner. "You always were a stubborn fool," he growled under his breath. "We'll see how long your pride lasts."

Actually, this might be for the best. The longer Nina refused to do the obvious, the longer she was out of the way. "You saved my life," Nina said to the ape with all her usual unshakable sanctimony. "The cowardly egg-sucker doesn't know me very well if he thinks I'll repay you with death."

"I'm relieved to hear it," the ape replied. "But who do you think did this to you?"

"I don't know." Nina frowned. "It could be any of them."

"Sergey?"

"Possibly, but I doubt it."

"He certainly hates you enough."

The small figure lifted its wings in a shrug. "But if he were caught, it would be politically ruinous. Everyone knows I was about to challenge him. It's highly dishonorable to use a spell like this on a challenger - and what's more, it's an admission weakness. Sergey would find himself swamped with Bloodstone rivals eager to topple him. No, it was more likely Evar, that big green dragon. Or perhaps one of the other Dragon Lords, since none of them is exactly happy with me at the moment."

Which was exactly what Sergey had intended her to think. With any luck, the others would believe the same.

Either way, he had avoided a duel with Nina he might not be able to win. The dragon was young, powerful, and skilled in battle, more than any of Sergey's previous challengers. And Sergey had no intentions of joining the bones at the base of the Dragon Cliffs.

Of course, he could have used a spell to kill Nina outright, but that kind of death magic was much easier to detect. The other Dragon Lords might be willing to turn a blind eye to trapping the young rebel in a sword, but killing a challenger through death magic...they'd execute Sergey for that.

Even if the Dragon Lords chose not to move againts him, Nina was right. Her clan would swampt him with challengers, and one of them might get lucky.

No, imprisoning the little egg-sucker was the best choice. Given her stubbornness, it could be years before Nina finally yielded to the inevitable and killed her ape friend. That would, of course, anger the other apes, who'd want nothing to do with Nina or the Dragonkind after that.

Even better, a long imprisonment would weaken Nina. By the time she escaped the sword, she'd be easy prey, assuming she was foolish enough to challenge Sergey at all.

It was all working out exactly as he'd hoped.

* * *

**AN: **

i hope your all enjoying the story so far and i hope its not too confusing if it is then just ask and i'll try and answer without giving the story away.

**glowie:** for the first question- its not just midori and her knights but the whole magical people and creatures, and yes they were sent there to avoid suspicion because they don't age. Q2- yes they can move from each world by magic portals. Q3- there purpose is to protect the humans from 'evil'. Q4- that is one of those questions that people ask themselves after watching the last episode of mai hime. no body really knows. and so like in mai hime i shall also leave it at that. or perhaps it is exactly that. -shifty eyes-

**ALEXISSA2:** shizuru shall be making an apperance next chapter

thanks to every body else who reviewed, they were very much appreciated.

woot! final exams!!!


	4. It was worth it

**Thanks to Alphawolf69, lindred, mantikora, and EisWulf for reviewing  
**Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

The present

The low-slung black sports car shot through the night with a rumble of power that vibrated all the way to Shizuru's bones. She shifted in the expensive upholstery, breathing in the scent of leather blended with the driver's cologne.

From the corner of one eye, Shizuru watched him. The profile painted in the dashboard's blue light was starkly elegent - regal cheekbones, a strong blade of a nose, an equally aggressive chin. He'd rolled down the driver's side window, allowing the wind of the car's passage to whip his brown hair around his shoulders. He looked at most, no more than a year or two older than she was.

He was her great-grandfather.

"Thanks for coming with me tonight," Shizuru said finally. They were the first words she'd spoken since casting the dimensional gate that had transported them and the car to Kyoto. "It'll mean a lot to him."

He glance at her. "It's my pleasure." His voice was deep, resonant. "I was always fond of Ichirou."

"He worshipped you. I grew up listening to the adventures of Ryuu-sama, vampire knight of the kingdom of Windbloom."

"I did enjoy telling that boy war stories."

Unable to resist the urge to tease, Shizuru grinned. "Ara, Ryuu-sama, how much of it did you make up?"

He didn't bat an eye. "About half. I've lived a very boring life."

"Yes, I'll bet that Queen Midori is a drag. Not to mention all those woman.Ara, ara."

"How's Ichirou doing now?" Ryuu asked, changing the subject.

"Much better. He's the man who raised me again." She smiled at him. "Thanks to you."

_Six months before_

Shizuru walked through the door of her tiny house feeling as if she'd been beaten. All day long, she'd fought to get food and water into her grandfather, who hadn't eaten in days. He'd met her attempts to feed him with a kind of sullen paranoia that told her more clearly than words that he had no idea who she was.

When Shizuru had tried to cajole one too many times, he'd lifted one big hand. He hadn't actually swung - at least he hadn't fallen that far - but she'd had no choice except to back off.

Though eighty, her grandfather was six inches taller than she was, and he still outweighed her, if only barely. She'd taken care of him at home since he'd been diagnosed five years ago, but his growing belligerence had finally forced her to put him in a nursing home.

Now she collapsed on the sagging living room couch in a haze of exhaustion and worry. Long moments passed as she sat staring blankly at the fire chief's helmet that still held a place of honor on the coffee table. It was all she could do not to cry.

Viola, Ichirou had never once raised a hand to her growing up. If he'd been in his right mind, he'd be horrified at the idea of hitting any woman, especially his granddaughter. Alzheimer's had eaten away so much of his mind. It wouldn't be long before it finally killed his body, too.

Shizuru knew she needed to keep her own strength up, but she didn't feel like eating.

Her heart ached. She missed her grandfather, and she was coming to hate the dying stranger in the nursing home. And she hated herself even more for wishing it was over.

Shizuru rose from the couch and headed for the stairs. In her weariness, it felt as if her feet had turned to cement blocks. She kept going anyway. She had to do something, anything, no matter how insane.

She climbed up to the pitch-black attic and groped for the lightbulb chain. A dull yellow glow clicked on, illuminating boxes of old records, clothing, and a pair of dusty stuffed poodles Ichirou had won her at a festival.

It took her five minutes of searching to find the battered green footlocker. When she spotted it under a box of ancient Christmas decorations, she felt, againts all reason, a spurt of hope.

This was nuts. She knew it was nuts. And yet...it was the only thing left to try.

Kneeling on the dirty floor, Shizuru lifted the stiff, half-rusted lid and looked down into its sixty-year-old contents. Gently, she lifted out the folded Army uniform with its bloodstained cuffs. There, under a battered helmet, she found a long brown box and flipped it open. Stained white silk cradled a small, sword-shaped charm.

Shizuru took the charm out and returned the box to its spot in the locker. Closing a shaking fist tight around the charm, she closed her eyes and began the chant her grandfather had made her say so many times when she was a little girl. The Latin words were difficult to pronounce, and she had no idea what they meant or if they'd do any good, but she said them anyway.

It was the only thing left to do.

When she was finished, she waited. The attic lay still and silent around her filled with dust and the ghosts of childhood happiness.

Nothing happened. She hadn't really thought it would, and yet...

"Granddad..." Shizuru dropped her head on her fist and began to cry, first silent tears, then tearing sobs of grief.

Light flashed, so bright she saw it even through closed eyes. Her tears choked off as her head jerked up.

A shimmering hole had opened in the air. As Shizuru sat frozen in shock and dawning hope, a man stepped through it.

For some reason, she'd thought he'd be dressed in armor, not perfectly ordinary chinos and a red knit shirt that matched his eyes. He cocked his head as he looked down at her. "Hello."

Her mouth worked, but nothing emerged from her shocked vocal chords.

The man leaned down and..._sniffed._ "Definitely my lineage." He smiled as he straightened. "Are you Ichirou's daughter? I remember giving him that charm."

"G-Granddaughter." She stuttered it. Taking a deep breath, she blurted, "He needs your help."

Ryuu smiled. "He has it."

He'd been as good as his word.

"We're here."

Ryuu's words brought Shizuru out of her reverie about the past. Big hands confident on the wheel - who'd taught him to drive? - Ryuu whipped into the parking lot of a sprawling stucco building. Shizuru escaped the car's luxurious cockpit with a feeling of relief. Painfully conscious of her great-grandfather striding at her heels, she led the way to the facility's gleaming front doors, past the massive stone sign.

Their footsteps rang on marble as they entered a soaring lobby that would have looked at home in a five-star hotel. The only thing that revealed the place's real nature were the huge elevators, each long anough to admit a stretcher and ambulance team. Whe Shizuru hit the elevator call button, one promptly slid open.

As the elevator hummed its way upward, she broke the silence. "The elevator smells a lot better than the one back at Granddad's previous nursing home. There were times I had to hold my breath all the way up and down. Thought I'd pass out before I ever hit the ground floor."

"Yes, I visited one of my children at such a place once, years ago. That's why I suggested we build Santuary to begin with." Ryuu gave her a slight smile. "The witch healer on staff here keeps the residents in much better health."

Shizuru nodded. "She certainly did wonders with Granddad."

The elevator chimed, announcing their arrival on the tenth floor, and the doors slid open. They stepped out to the sounds of laughter and cheerful groans.

Again, Shizuru found herself comparing it with Ichirou's previous nursing home. There, the sitting area had hosted only a single television that seemed to show nothing but reruns of seventies game shows. Dispirited residents sat slumped on a stained couch, watching without much interest.

Here, a brisk game of pool was in progress while residents at other tables played everything from poker to Scrabble. Voices were bright and lively, and there was no scent of sickness in the air.

Shizuru and Ryuu found Ichirou presiding over a pile of poker chips while watching his opponents across his cards. There was such merry cunning in his gaze, tears stung Shizuru's eyes.

When she'd first contacted Ryuu, she'd doubted her grandfather would survive the week. Thanks to Sanctuary's witch healer, he could probably look forward to living another two decades.

Ichirou looked up and saw them. His face lit with a brilliant grin. "Shizuru! Ryuu-sama!" He threw down his hand and rose, aiming the grin at his opponents. "Looks like you boys get to keep your money after all. My family's here!"

As his poker buddies watched with naked envy, he stepped around the table to pump his father's hand and accept Shizuru's kiss. Shizuru was abruptly struck by how alike the two looked - they had the same broad-shouldered build and angular features, though age had blurred the resemblance. She wondered if Ichirou felt the same sense of mental whiplash she did. Anyone looking at them would have thought he was Ryuu's grandfather rather than son.

"Want to go back to my apartment where we can talk?" he suggested.

"I'd love to," Ryuu said, genuine affection in his smile.

"So," Ichirou said as he led the way down the hall, "how's the war going?" He turned a proud smile on Shizuru and dropped his voice. "And how do you like being a witch?"

Shizuru felt her smile go tight. "It's great, Granddad. I'm learning more every day." _It's that or die._

"As for the war, it goes much better, Ichirou," Ryuu told him. "In fact, we believe we've found the means to win."

"Yeah? That's fantastic!" He unlocked the door to his neat three-room apartment and gestured them inside.

As they entered the small living room, evidence of Ichirou's proud career was everywhere. His old fire chief's helmet now rested on a bookcase, while the walls were hung with photos of his family and his firefighter buddies.

"Have a seat," Ichirou said. "Want anything, Dad? Shizuru?"

"I'm fine." Shizuru sank down on the comfortable old couch Ichirou had owned longer than she'd been alive.

Her grandfather turned his attention on Ryuu again. "I've got a nice bottle of wine. Or I could make tea."

He sounded so damn normal, gratitude swelled in a warm ball in Shizuru's chest.

Joining her, Ryuu made an elegant gesture of refusal. "Nothing for me, thanks."

"If you change your mind, let me know." Ichirou dropped into his favorite easy chair and fixed them with an eager stare. "So tell me about the war."

For the past six months, the Magekind had been locked in a deadly conflict with the followers of a Suishouguu alien named Obsidian. They'd killed the alien, but before he died, he'd managed to change his psychotic human worshippers into vampires. And in an obvious parody of the rite Mashiro had use, he'd used three so-called black cups to do it.

"There's been a major breakthrough." Ryuu sat forward and braced his elbows on his knees. "We've learned if you destroy one of the cups, the magical backlash kills every vampire that was created by drinking from it."

Understanding lit Ichirou's bright eyes. "So instead of being forced to hunt down five or six thousand evil vampires, all you've gotta do is find the cups."

"Exactly."

The old man blinked, sitting back in his chair. "That's a hell of an improvement."

"That's putting it midly," Shizuru told him. "Hallard-san and her wife already destroyed one of the cups. We just need to get rid of the other two, and we're done."

Ichirou studied Shizuru, his gaze proud. "And you're participating in this hunt now, right?"

She nodded. "We all are."

"Maybe you'll be the one to find it." He turned to Ryuu and beamed. "She always was smart as a whip. I'm so proud of her."

"As am I." Ryuu patted his gnarled hand. "You did well with her, Ichirou. She has a very strong sense of duty."

Shizuru gave them both a smile that felt a little tight. "Ara, you two have me pegged."

Ryuu certainly did. Not long after getting Ichirou into Sanctuary, he'd reappeared in Shizuru's living room. "We're in a war," he'd told her, then went on to describe the battle with Obsidian and his followers. "I petitioned the Witch's Council to grant you Mashiro's Gift, and they've agreed you're a fit candidate. Will you help us?"

She'd stared at him in stunned shock.

It had never occurred to Shizuru that she'd be considered as a Witch candidate. After all, the Council had refused to make her grandfather a Knight sixty years before, despite his wartime heroism. Apparently somebody had concluded it wasn't a good idea.

They'd also refused her mother thirty years later, though that was more understandable. Her mother, a hard-partying seventies wild child, hadn't been the most stable candidate around. Witness the way she'd ended up hitting a tree at sixty-five miles an hour, leaving her daughter to be raised by her parents, since nobody had known who Shizuru's father was.

Shizuru considered herself just as unlikely a candidate for Witch as her mother had been, but evidently the Magekind felt differently.

Not that it mattered. Ryuu had gotten Granddad into Sanctuary. If it meant Shizuru had to embrace her inner cannon fodder in return, she was willing.

The next night, a witch had shown up at Shizuru's apartment. And managed to trigger Mashiro's Gift, the spell in her genetic code Shizuru had inherited from Ryuu.

It had all been like being struck by lightning. One minute she was an ordinary mortal woman. The next, her body had jolted in the grip of the spell, and the power of the Suishouguu had flooded her with its hot savagery, transforming her into an immortal witch.

Actually, 'immortal' was a misnomer. Shizuru would never age, but she was immortal only as long as no one killed her. And these days, there were far too many people in line to do that job.

But at least Ichirou was no longer dying.

Shizuru, Ryuu, and Ichirou chatted easily for another half hour before the elderly mortal could no longer supress his yawns.

Ryuu stood. "Well, we had best return to the Suishouguu. We have a great deal to do."

"I'm sure." Ichirou gave him a longing smile. "You'll come back, though?"

"Of course."

Shizuru kissed her grandfather good night, waited through another handshake, and led the way back to the elevator.

As it descended, Ryuu suddenly spoke. "Was it worth it?"

She flashed back to her last mission, to the bodies and the blood. Not even her years growing up around the smoke and risk of a firehouse had prepared her for anything like that.

Then Shizuru remembered the reborn intelligence in her grandfather's eyes. "Yes,"she said.

* * *

**AN:**

so i decided to take a break from studying, after all i am a lazy person by nature.

I threw in this chapter just to give a little background to how shizuru came to be a 'witch'. I know the story so far is kind of boring, but it will pick up in the next two chapters for sure, so look forward to it.

review?


	5. funerals and new partnerships

**Alphawolf69: **the time period from the start of the last chapter is the present, which i guess you could say its the year 2007 and hence the reason for all the technology, and Sanctuary is located in the earth dimension. sorry for not clearing that up last chapter.

also, thanks to ** EisWulf, lindred, **and** ALEXISSA2 **for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Shizuru limped through the streets of Windbloom, headed for the little brownstone she'd built with her magic. All she wanted now was a hot, soothing bath and maybe a nice cup of tea. 

For the past several months, she'd been altering Ryuu's lessons in swordplay with magical combat instruction from her Witch trainer. Between them, Nao and the knight had taught her to hold her own.

But Shizuru had never learned to like it. She hated fighting, hated the blood and the pain and fear of it. She'd wanted to be a paramedic, dammit. She'd wanted to save lives, not take them.

Apparently, fate had other ideas...

_Boooooom!_

Shizuru stopped in her tracks, frowning in the direction of the noise. It had sounded almost like a magical blast, but it was a little loud for combat practice. What...?

A distant voice howled, "We live in Obsidian! Obsidian lives in us!" Another boom followed.

Armored feet rushed up behind her. As she jerked around, Ryuu pelted past. "Move your ass!" he roared. "We're under attack!"

Instantly forgetting her battered body, Shizuru conjured armor and sword and raced after him.

They found the central square packed with battling wariors. The light from magical blasts glinted off armor and clashing swords as the constant rolling booms rattled windows.

Impossible as it seemed, Windbloom had been invaded.

But how had Obsidian's sorceres figured out how to create a dimensional gate to Suishouguu?

A blur of red plunged at Shizuru from her left. Instinctively, she whirled and threw up a shield spell barely in time to block a wave of death magic. A vampire in the scarlet armor of Obsidian's worshipers charged her, following up his magical asault with a vicious swing of his sword. She parried, bracing under the brutal impact, then blasted him back as she'd been taught. The spell sent him stumbling.

Shizuru followed, hacking at him with her conjured blade and raining spells againts his shields. Sensing something give in his magical defenses, she poured another blast into the weakness. His shield collapsed. With a yell of relief and victory, Shizuru plunged her sword into his chest. He reeled, tripping and falling on his back. Shizuru followed him down and twisted her sword in his heart, destroying her adversary without mercy. Her gorge heaved in revulsion, but she ignored it.

Decapitation and cutting up the heart were the only sure ways to kill a vampire. They tended to heal anything less than that.

Her opponent dead, Shizuru glanced around for somebody else to fight. The square was packed with armored warriors, all grimly intent on battle. Mercy was out of the question. The obsidians were incapable of it, and the Suishouguu didn't dare let any of them live.

Shizuru wanted to throw up.

Spotting another sorcerer, she went after him, ignoring her own fear. Fortunately, the sorcerers were all twenty first century people as uncomfortable with swordmanship as she was. Good thing, too. If they'd had anything like Ryuu's skill, Shizuru wouldn't have had a prayer.

Trying not to think, fighting not to feel, she hacked and blasted at her foes. All that mattered was keeping them from overrunning Windbloom.

_Boom!_

The magical explosion slammed into the side of her head, powering past her shields and sending her flying. She tumbled, her body rattling in her armor like pea in a tin cup before skidding to a halt. Something heavy landed on her chest, knocking the breath out of her with a strangled _woosh._

Dazed, she looked up to see a sorcerer straddling her, one fist lifted. She tried to bring her sword, but he slapped the blade out of the way so hard, it spun from her hand.

Before she could summon a fireball to defend herself, his fingers closed over her visor and sent a spell burning into her helm.

_It melted_. Just vanished right off her head like evaporating dew.

Horrified and bare-headed, she looked up at the sorcerer. He raised his own visor, revealing a beefy face, sweat-slicked red hair, and razored fangs in a grinning mouth. "Hello there, pretty."

Terrified, she threw up a hand and blasted a spell into his face, but it splashed off his magical shields. Then a big hand slammed across her head in a slap that made her see stars.

Everything else went gray.

When her thoughts focused again, something heavy was crushing her chest. Her throat blazed with agony. Opening her dazed eyes, Shizuru realized the vampire lay on top of her, his hand fisted in her hair, his fangs buried in her neck.

And it hurt.

_He's feeding on me!_ With a cry of disgust and horror, she lifted shaking hands and tried to call her magic for a spell. But the power answered in a thin trickle he didn't even seem to notice. Between the concussion and the blood loss, she was too weak.

He was killing her.

_No! Not like this!_ Ichirou had lost too many people already - his wife, his daughter. It would kill him if Shizuru died, too.

She tried to struggle, but her arms and legs barely moved. He'd taken too much blood. Dizzy and frantic, she tried to draw on the power of the Suishouguu. Far above her head, sparks flared. For a moment, Shizuru thought it was her magic, answering at last.

The sorcerer jerked off her with a spray of blood. Dazed, she registered his gory mouth as he looked skyward. "The cup!" he yelled, terror in his voice. "Someone's destroying our cup!"

Overhead, light filled the sky in a silent detonation. The vampire astride her chest screamed as the blast hit him. All around her, the sorcerers shrieked. Burning magic rolled over Shizuru's skin, blinding her. She threw up her hands to shield her face...

The vampire's weight simply vanished.

For a moment, it was as of she'd been struck deaf and blind. There was no sound, no light, no sensation.

At last she heard someone groan. Someone else cursed. Shizuru blinked as the stars overhead slid into focus. Her attacker had disappeared, but the pain in her throat remained. Lifting a shaking hand, she probed the wound fearfully. Her fingers could feel nothing through the mailed gloves she still wore.

"Shizuru?" A familiar face loomed over her, framed by his open visor. Fear widened his eyes as he snatched her into his arms. "Oh my god!" Throwing back his head, Ryuu bellowed, "Healer! I need a healer!"

The word seemed to spin around her, and Shizuru let her eyes close as darkness swept over her.

"Shizuru?" A cool, slender hand cupped her cheek.

She opened her eyes, disoriented. She knew that voice.

"Nao?"

Her mentor smiled in relief as she crouched by her side. "Feeling better?"

Blinking, Shizuru realized she was lying on her back in the city square. Belatedly, she remembered the feeling of fangs sinking into her throat. The flesh under her fingers was reassuringly whole. It was as if she'd dreamed it.

Nao patted her shoulder. "It's all right, I healed you."

"Just in time, too."

She twisted her head around to find Ryuu crouching at her head. He reached down and ran mailed fingers through her tangled, bloody hair. "You scared me, brat."

Shizuru sighed and let her eyes close, suddenly axhausted. "Ara, I scared me, too."

-/-/-/-

There wasn't a single bruise on Shizuru's face as she stared into her bedroom mirror the next night, and her throat showed no sign that it had ever been ripped by the vampire's fangs. Nao had healed her completely. At least physically.

The nightmare's she'd endured all day were brutal evidence that the psychological damage was going to be a little tougher to overcome.

But if it hadn't been for Youko and the queen's knights...

Even as the invasion began, Youko, Midori, and several of the knights had gated off, following a location spell to the second of Obsidian's cups. When Youko destroyed it, the resulting magical blast had killed all but a handful of the invaders. Apparently, the survivors had drunk from the third cup, so the spell hadn't affected them.

They'd died anyway. The Magekind had fallen on them and wiped them out to the last fighter.

Unfortunately, Windbloom had lost warriors of its own. Three knights and a witch had been killed in the fighting.

Thus, tonight's ritual.

Frowning into her mirror, Shizuru summoned the magic. Transforming her cotton sleep shirt into a floor-length black gown, vaguely medieval in design. Rich velvet skirts spilled to the floor, while the gown's tightly corseted bodice was heavily worked with metallic silver thread. Eyeing its V neckline, she added a heavy necklace of silver and jet.

Shizuru smoothed her hands over her hair. The spell had coiled it into a complicated arrangement on top of her head, braided with silver cords in a style she'd copied from one of the other witches.

She hated funerals even more than she hated combat.

She stepped from her house to find a procession of Magekind winding past the house. Like Shizuru, all of them were dressed in black velvet of silk, the dark fabric heavily embroidered in silver or a scattering of jet beads. Picking up her skirts, she walked across her tiny lawn to join them.

"Hey, Shizuru-chan! Wait up!"

She turned to see a brown haired girl hurrying toward her despite heavy velvet skirts, accompanied by Nao and Chie Hallard.

Aoi dragged her into a fierce hug. "How many times do I have to tell you - ya gotta watch the teeth!" Her voice dropped. "You could have been killed..."

Touched, Shizuru hugged her back. "Ara ara, some overgrown tick is not going to keep me down for long." She gave Nao a grateful smile. "Especially not while I've got friends like you two." She stepped back and studied her friend. "How about you? Come through all right?"

Aoi giggled. "Hey, I'm married to Chie Hallard over there." She jerked a thumb at her wife, who watched with an indulgent smile. "She slices, she dices, she makes evil sorcerers cry like little girls. Nobody even got close enough to muss my hair."

"Hey know, that's an outright lie, Aoi," the knight drawled. "You made one or two cry yourself."

Nao moved up beside Shizuru. "I hate to interrupt the hyperbole, but we'd better get moving. We're holding up the procession."

-/-/-/-

They walked two miles, picking up more mourners as they passed castles, villas, and mansions, until at last they reached Windbloom's central square. Four flower-decked biers occupied its center.

If things had gone differently, Shizuru herself might be occupying one of them.

It probably wasn't a good idea to think about that.

Wiping her suddenly damp palms on her skirt, she followed the others as they trooped around the biers to form concentric circles.

The ceremony that followed had become all too familiar over the past months. First came prayers from representatives of the faiths the fallen Magekind had practiced, then the eulogies from friends and lovers.

Finally Midori and her sister Mai stepped from their places at opposite sides of the square. The former High Queen lifted her chin and scanned the crowd. "Centuries ago, we Magekind took a vow to Mashiro to use our abilities to protect humankind from its own worst impulses, even if it meant laying down our immortal lives." Normally, she prided herself on her use of modern slang, but for solemn occasions like this, Midori fell back into more formal cadences.

She spread her arms wide. "The four kept that vow last night in battle againts the worst threat we've known in all our long history. I honor their memory and their courage, but what's more, I make a vow on their biers: they will be avenged!"

Around Shizuru, the Magekind roared their approval as she lifted her own voice in a shout of agreement.

Midori turned in a slow cirlce, scanning the crowd, letting them see her fury. "Obsidian meant to mock Mashiro when he used those black cups of his to make his followers vampires. We killed him for his crimes, just as we've killed two thirds of his followers. But another third remains. As long as they exist, they can use the final cup to create more vampires. We dare not rest until we find the cup and destroy it - and with it, the last of Obsidian's spawn." Midori lifted her chin. "But make no mistake - we will succeed, just as we've succeeded againts the forces of ignorance, rage, and bigotry for centuries. And these heroes will rest in the peace they deserve."

The Liege of the knights raised her voice in a parade ground bark as she reached for the sword hanging at her side. "Knights, present arms!" Drawing her sword from its scabbard, she lifted the great blade skyward. Next to Shizuru, Chie drew her sword as the other Knights did the same.

"Witches!" Mai shouted, raising her ringed hands. "Join with me in sending our lost heroes home!"

Shizuru sent a wave of magic at the biers, her spell blending with those the other woman fired. The biers began to glow under the building enchantment, shining brighter and brighter until they merged into a white-hot ball of light. Abruptly the ball shot upward like a rocket to detonate far overhead in an explosion of dancing sparks.

Shizuru watched the magic fade with aching eyes. Beside her, Aoi sniffed loudly.

"Now, put aside your grief and listen," Midori said as she stepped into the vacant space where the biers had stood. Her black boots rang on the stone as she slid her sword back into its scabbard. The other vampires followed suit, swords rattling.

Lifting her head, Midori scanned the silent crowd. "Each of those we lost had been members of the Magekind less than ten years. Heed me well - I will lose no more of my children!"

She paused, letting the silence build. No one in the crowd so much as coughed. Satisfied that they were taking her seriously, Midori continued, "The councils have met, and it is decided. The most experienced Magekind will be paired with our newest recruits. The veterans' responsibility is to assist them in combat and ensure they have the skills needed to survive while we all hunt the last cup. And lest there is any doubt - these assignments are not a topic for debate." She looked at her half sister. "Mai."

"Yes, Midori." She threw her arms skyward and closed her eyes. Light burst from her fingertips. Far above the square, glowing slips of paper began to float downward like leaves.

By instinct, Shizuru put a hand out. One of the sheets landed in her palm, and she curled her fingers around it.

"Good luck," Aoi said in her ear, as the spell took her by the hand and began gently to tug. Shizuru followed the magical pull as, around her, other Magekind began to mill around doing the same.

* * *

I wonder who shizuru will be partnered with. 

yea, its going to be natsuki...or will it? O.o

anyways please review


End file.
